Poll workers are getting active shooter drills and emergency kits that include door barricades and tourniquets as threats of political violence mount and the 2024 presidential looms, according to a new report.
The Washington Post Friday released a disturbing new report about how voting operations across the nation are preparing to face potential violence this election year.
“We recognize the real and present danger that’s presented by the conspiracy theories and the lies,” Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat, told the Post. “An ounce of prevention is really all we can afford right now, and so that’s what we’re going to do.”
The Post report directly links the increase in emergency training to the expected nomination of former President Donald Trump’s “relentless attacks” and denials of the 2020 election results that have election organizers fearful for the safety of their staff.
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“They are amping up advertising budgets, increasing training for election workers, learning how best to quickly correct false information and bolstering coordination with federal, state and local law enforcement to better respond to threats and harassment,” writes Yvonne Wingett Sanchez. “The scale of the undertaking reflects the magnitude of the challenge.”
Matt Crane, executive director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, told the Post the problem stems from the unshakable faith Trump’s followers have in their leader’s words.
“Jesus Christ could come and say, ‘No, you’re wrong,’” Crane told the Post. “And these people would tell Jesus, ‘You’re crazy.’”
But Trump’s campaign told the Post, “Nobody who is a bigger defender of free and fair elections than President Trump.”
Meanwhile, in Michigan and Georgia, state officials have fortified a texting communication system to ensure law enforcement can respond quickly to danger.
The Post notes that Arizona officials faced death threats after Trump and his followers challenged the 2020 election results.
“Trump supporters surrounded one of [Fontes’] colleagues outside a building where ballots were being processed,” the Post reports. “The colleague had to be yanked from the angry crowd by a sheriff’s deputy.”
That’s why Fontes and working to protect election workers from swatting by registering their addresses with law enforcement.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) has also redirected an election fraud claims unit to focus on threats against election workers, voting rights and ballot access, the Post reports.
Mayes reportedly said her office, “will not tolerate any efforts to undermine our democracy.”
